Disclaimer: See chapter 1. But, if you INSIST, I don't own anything related to Yu-Gi-Oh. At all. Nope. And no money is being made from this fic at all. Nope. Notta. Zilch.
Chapter 2: Cruel Summer
Joey woke up with a thud. "Huh? WazzawhereamI?" He mumbled sleepily from the floor that he had fallen on. (a/c: sounds like me...--) Blinking several times, he took in the walls and decorations of his room, letting it all sink in. "Oh, I guess I fell outta bed again," He murmured and sat up, stretching with a yawn. "Well, other than waking up on da floor, dat was da best sleep of my life," Joey concluded. Rubbing sand out of his eyes, he glanced over at the clock, and then abruptly snapped to attention and held the clock in front of his face in disbelief.
"WHAT?? IT CAN'T BE NOON, DAGANG SAID DEY'D CALL ME AT NINE!!!" Exclaimed the late riser. The teen rushed to put on decent clothes and ran out the door of his bungalow. He looked around frantically with his chestnut eyes and noticed that the streets were devoid of any life whatsoever except for the trees. Panicking, he started running at top speed toward his short friend's house.
"YUG'! YUG'! OPEN DA DOOR, PLEASE DON'T TELL ME YA LEFT WIT'OUT ME!!!" Joey pounded on the front door of the Game Shop. He sunk to his knees and hit his head against the wood when there was no response but the echo of his frantic knocking on the poor, abused door.
"I can't believe it...dey...dey leftwit'out me," The blonde whispered. Sighing, he stood up again and walkedaway with a dejected hang of his shoulders. "I don't get it, dey'd said dey'd call me, and it isn't like dem to ditch me like dat," Joey pondered to himself, walking along Main Street of Domino City. Usually, this part of town was always bustling with life and crowded with bumper-to-bumper traffic. But today, there was eerily nothing moving except the wind in the trees and Joey's feet. It almost felt like he was the last human in the world.
Involuntary shivers ran down the blonde's spine as the feeling came to grips with him. "Where is everyone?" He asked the air. Then, as if an almighty force had heard him ask, Joey walked by a TV shop, to see a multitude of televisions in the window, all on the same station. He stopped to look at what was on. In the many screens there was an attractive news reporter who stood outside of an immense and magnificent water park that would make any kid do barefoot back flips on a hot, scorching sidewalk.
"Hello!" Chirped the reporter, "I'm Mina Sagnoi reporting here at the Super-Duper-Fun-Fun Water Park that every kid dreams about and, strangely enough, doesn't have a specific name! This park opened up just yesterday, and it seems that absolutely EVERYONE in Domino City has come today! From the old to the young, the black to the blue, and even the non-humans are visiting today! Look at that ADORABLE little dachshund! HOW CUTE!" The camera then proceeded to zoom on a particularly cute and cuddly dachshund in the arms of the grinning owner. "Yep, that's right," Continued Mina, "Everyone who's ANYONE is here today!"
Joey scowled menacingly at the screens and muttered evilly, "Those little traitors...ditching me like dat!" He huffed away from the toothy grins of Mina Sagnoi. It was a pretty warm day out, I mean, after all, it WAS summer, and with the sun bearing down on the abandoned blonde's head, it was starting to make his blood boil more than it had been previously. "Those little traitors are gonna get a stern lecture outta me when dey get back," Joey muttered to himself, fists clenching slightly.
One hand reached up to wipe the sweat off his brow, and as he did so, he thought he saw something on the bench in front of him. It moved. Joey instantly perked. 'Could it be...ANOTHER HUMAN?!?" He thought excitedly. The teen rushed over to the bench and called, "H-Hey! Are you another human?" The bundle of worn-out clothes on the bench jerked upright and stretched.
"Wazzawho'sthere?" Grumbled the hobo on the bench.
"WOW! I'm NOT da only other livin' thing in dis city! Hey, Mister, what's your name?!" Joey jabbered enthusiastically.
The hobo yawned and smiled, "Oh, I'm your Friendly Neighborhood Hobo Who Preaches Nonsense at Passerby. You can call me Ned." Ned extended his hand and Joey shook it.
"Wow, er...Ned! I'm glad tah see dat I'm not da only person in dis city who didn't go tah dat water park!"
"Yes, well, I AM a hobo. Well, I suppose I better get back to doing what I do best...preaching nonsense," Ned the Friendly Neighborhood Hobo Who Preaches Nonsense at Passerby coughed slightly, and then exclaimed, "COKE AND PEPSI ARE THE SAME THING, PEOPLE!! WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT?? THEY. ARE. THE. SAME!!!!"
Joey blinked and started backing away from the ranting hobo. "Well, uh...it was nice meetin' ya, Ned," He said quietly and started walking away, leaving Ned to rant about the abuse of poor, defenseless doors.
"Well, I guess it COULD be worse," The blonde reassured himself, "I mean, I COULD be stuck all alone in dis city. Or even worse, I could be stuck wit'-" Joey paused as suddenly there was an ominous crack of thunder in the only slightly overcast sky. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and he had this sickening feeling that something really, really, really bad was coming his way. And, to justify his fears, a looming shadow appeared before him and his heart started to beat faster from the instinctive fear that raced through him. The tall shadow paused before him, and Joey could hear a smirk that he knew all too well.
"Kaiba," He hissed, with venomous hatred dripping through his teeth.